Social media fatigue refers to social media users’ tendency to pull back from social media when they become overwhelmed with too many social media sites, too many friends and followers and too much time spent online maintaining these connections. Boredom and concerns about online privacy are also linked to social media fatigue.
Social media fatigue may also be referred to as social networking fatigue or social media fatigue syndrome.
According to a survey conducted by Gartner in December 2010 and January 2011, the earliest adopters of social media reported fatigue and the amount of time they spent on social media sites had declined. This decline may cause a negative chain reaction in social media because when users reduce the amount of time they spend online, this leaves existing users with fewer people to chat and interact with, which may lead them to spend less time on social media as well.